The Boy and The Prince
by Monetti
Summary: The young prince Kise is in search of something, but Kuroko may be the only one who could help him But will he? A Prince!KisexKuroko AU.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke

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Part I

Prologue

Once upon a time there was a small kingdom surrounded by thick forests and high mountains. It was a peaceful little kingdom until the young king Kise inherited the throne. He, with the aid from a clan of gifted alchemists, conquered the surrounding countries.

The kings of other nearby kingdoms, in fear of the new king, decided to obliterate the clan of alchemists in hopes of stopping the kingdom's growth. Small groups of elite soldiers were sent out. They pursued every member of the clan and slaughtered each and every one of them. Their village was also burned down as a precaution. The massacre soon got nicknamed 'The Big Plague' because of the assassins' black capes and bird like masks.

The plan worked – the king did not try to widen his borders. Once again, peace reigned in his kingdom.

Little did they know, there was one sole survivor. A phantom boy, Kuroko Tetsuya, was rescued through the village's underground tunnels. He was taken in by a nearby village's doctor, who was a knowledgeable old man and Kuroko gradually grew attached to him. He learned how to read and write, also got engrossed in medicine. The elder taught him a lot about it and accepted the little boy's help in treating his patients.

This idyllic life ended almost a decade later when the old man fell ill with an incurable disease and died soon after. Kuroko was left all alone again.

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This is the prologue of a story I'm writing. Didn't want to drag out the story with the whole 'before the main story' chapters, so made it into a brief prologue-like introduction.

~Monetti


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke

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Chapter 1

It was just before noon that Kuroko finally realised that he had to go to the ruins for more herbs. The sudden outburst of the flu claimed all of his supplies and it seemed that it's going to linger in the village for a little while more.

The best herbs are certainly at the old Ruins. But the trip would take half a day and he knew that he's cutting it too close to twilight for comfort. And it's too dangerous to be there when the sun sets. There was no other way. His patients needed the medicine. After grabbing his bag the blue haired boy left his small house.

The ruins have become a nest not only for wild animals, but also for savages and thieves. Even though Kuroko knew that the Ruins were not the safest place to gather herbs, but the quality of them outweighed the dangers. However, he felt relaxed there. Perhaps because of his childhood there, or perhaps the lack of the remains of his previous life instead, but the old remains of the once prosperous village made him feel completely at ease.

There were two women standing on the round and as he was unnoticed passing by, he overheard their gossip. They were huddled together, but their voices could be clearly heard. Not like they were purposefully trying to hide anything.

"Hey, hey, did you hear?" One asked.

"About that cute boy that's been searching for something?" The other nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! Yes! The one that should soon come to our town! Ah, I can't wait!" She squealed.

"Ah, I heard he's a true eye candy!" The other added in a dreamy voice.

"Maybe he's searching for a wife?"

"If he's as cute as they say, I'd marry him anytime!" She winked and they both burst into hysterical giggles. Their loose wrinkly skin billowed from their laughter. Kuroko shuddered and increased his pace.

Once he stepped into the forest that surrounds the ruins, a refreshing breeze ruffled his hair. Kuroko closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air. It brought the smell of moss, trees and grass, but also the smell of smoke. The teen's eyes snapped open and he looked around. He could see moving figures and he hid in the shadows, cautiously creeping closer. Soon he could see two people entering and exiting the remains of the houses. They only poked their heads through the door, looked around and tried another house with a sigh.

_They're searching for something?_ Kuroko mused to himself. He decided to make a detour and avoid being seen and pick the herbs from the shadows.

He carefully placed a few bundles of the handpicked herbs into his bag, when two horses caught his attention. Soon he noticed a mahogany coach with golden lines snaking on the surface, forming beautiful ornaments. He curiously sneaked closer.

Two feet were dangling from the coach's open door. Soon the two men came back and bowed to the carriage.

"Did you find anyone?" The man inside asked.

"My apologies, Kise-sama." They bowed their heads lower. "This may not be the village we were looking for."

"M-my sincere apologies, Kise-sama!" A trembling woman's voice apologised. "I-it's all my fault! I deserve a punishment!"

_Kise-sama? The king? No, perhaps it's the man the two grannies in the village were gossiping about. He's somebody from the royal family.._ Kuroko squinted his eyes.

"So, we're going to spend the night here?" The man jumped out of the carriage and stretched. He was a blond, lean man and he was wearing clothes Kuroko hadn't seen before. A light blue jacket with golden embroidery, a beautiful rapier dangling on his hip and his white trousers were tucked into black boots.

Kuroko's brows furrowed. _They're going to camp here? They're like sitting ducks for the wild animals and thugs. _He shook his head. _Better not to get involved._

A low growl cut the air. Kuroko flinched at the sound. He whipped his head to meet a wolf glaring at him dead in the eye, his long fangs glowing in the dim light of their fire. Its powerful muscles tensed below his skin and the small boy frantically searched for any weapon. A glass shard or a rock, anything would do. He cursed himself for not realising of such a possibility and bringing a weapon beforehand. Just when his fingers wrapped around a rock as big as his fist, the wolf lunged itself. Kuroko swung the rock with all his might and when it made contact with the beast's temple, it released a satisfying cracking sound. Blood gushed out of the gap and sprayed his face with crimson. The beast's body twitched on the ground and then suddenly stopped moving. The boy panted heavily, adrenaline still pumping in his veins, looking down on the animal.

Undoubtedly, its pack was near.

There was no way for him to outrun their pack on foot. Unless.. Unless he used the carriage to escape, even if it meant involving himself with the three strangers. He jumped on his feet and sprinted towards them.

Perhaps it was the sight of a young boy sprinting towards them at full speed, shouting "Wolves!" from the top of his lungs, or perhaps it was the fresh blood, sprayed all over his face and dripping on his tattered shirt, was the reason that petrified them, but the three figures stared at him wide eyed, not moving from their spot.

Kuroko furrowed his brows and pursed his lips, but didn't stop running. As soon as he yanked Kise's hand, moving him out of the way and jumping into the carriage, a wolf landed where they stood seconds ago.

"Get out of there!" Kuroko hurried the two servants and shut the coach's door.

Snapping out of their daze, they leapt onto the coach box and the carriage lunged forward, leaving the howling wolves behind.

Kuroko was still panting heavily when he glanced upwards and met the curious stare of the teen in front of him. The boy shrugged and wiped his face with his sleeve, smearing it with blood and sweat.

"I believe we've have lost them, Kise-sama." A female voice announced.

"Ok, but don't stop moving forward just to be safe!" Kise commanded.

Kuroko glanced at the moving scenery behind the window. "Stop. Wrong way." He breathed out.

Kise looked at him questioningly. "Pardon?"

"Stop. You're going the wrong way. The village is not this way."

"You know where it is?" Kise jumped on his feet, making the coach sway. Kuroko nodded in response. "Hey, can you stop the carriage for a minute?" He asked in a higher tone.

"Of course, Kise-sama."

The carriage drew to a halt, Kuroko jumped out of the coach. The two servants were already standing by the door, eyeing him wearily.

"Do you have a map?" The blue haired boy asked the pair. The woman glanced at Kise and after an approving nod spread it on the ground a minute later. Kuroko crouched before it.

"No wonder they came to the Ruins." He whispered and raised his head. "We are here." He pointed at the map. He slid his finger a few centimetres down. "These are the Ruins. We came from here. It's not a village anymore, just rubble. And…" He circled a blank spot. "..the village is around here. Your map is too old to have it drawn."

The two servants glanced at each other. "We cannot just blindly trust him, Kise-sama. He may be deceiving us." The woman nodded in agreement.

Kise shrugged. "Well, we have nothing to lose. Might as well try trusting him, right?" He looked at the blue haired boy and smiled. "Lead the way."

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It was already past midnight when they finally reached the small village.

"So there really was a village here!" Kise exclaimed in excitement.

"Everyone is already asleep, so please restrain from shouting so loudly."

"Oh, sorry." He whispered with an amused smile on his face.

The carriage stopped in front of Kuroko's house and the small boy jumped out. He entered his house with a sigh, one of the servants trailing behind.

"Where is your bed, little boy?" The dark haired man asked. Kuroko pointed at the small door on the right. "Kise-sama, your bed is this way."

"I can sleep in the carriage!" Kise assured the raven, looking at Kuroko apologetically. "Really!" He added when saw the frown on his servant's face.

"You cannot sleep in the carriage, Kise-sama." And he dragged the prince to the small room.

The woman came in a few minutes later. She glanced around and nodded understandingly. "He occupied your bed, didn't he?" Kuroko's bitter look made her giggle. "Sorry about that. Oh, we haven't introduced ourselves, have we? Call me Mary, the boy with black hair is Kasamatsu-san and the blond man is Kise-sama. They're nice people, really, but Kasamatsu-san is a little overprotective. Especially towards Kise-sama." She giggled again, cheeks slightly flushed with pink.

"I'm Kuroko. Nice to meet you, Mary-san."

"Nice to meet you too, Kuroko-kun." She smiled. "I should go help them." She gave a small smile and silently entered Kise's bedroom.

A sigh escaped his lips when he pulled out a blanket out of a drawer. He laid down on the hard bed for his patients and pulled the blanked over his head, wishing for the day to end quickly.

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Alrighty. The first chapter. I've already written a few more, but do tell me what you think and perhaps what you want to see, too, and maybe I'll add it to my story.

Also, sorry for the OC, but I didn't want to use an actual character for her role, haha.

I hope you'd enjoyed the chapter!

~Monetti


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke

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Chapter 2

Warm morning light caressed the blue haired boy's face, gently waking him up. His eyelids fluttered open and he looked around his small room. A simple wooden table with a few chairs scattered around were in the middle of the small space and a warm fire flickering in the fireplace on his right. He glanced at his bedroom door which was slightly ajar. The boy got up and gingerly peeked in, but nobody was inside.

"It's so early, but it's already hot out, what would I give for something to cool me down." Mary sighed as she entered the house. "I'm so sweaty I could pass for a pool." She was holding a basket and fanning herself with the brim of her shirt's collar.

"Good morning, Mary-san."

"Geh!" She let out a terrific shriek. "Oh, Kuroko-kun… G-good morning." Mary eyed him with terrified eyes. "When did you..?"

"I was here before you came in." Kuroko answered before she finished her question.

She nodded, still a little stiff, but cheeks gaining a light tint of pink. "You didn't hear anything." She noted with her brows furrowed menacingly, yet her face reddening by the minute.

Kuroko nodded in response, a mischievous look in his powder blue orbs. He plopped on a chair and rested his chin in his palm.

"Ah, do you have anything I could wash for you? I could wash your clothes as a thank you for your hospitality."

"No, it's ok, thank you. I don't really have anything."

"Well, the offer still stands." She shrugged. "Oh, this kind lady gave you some buns, saying that it's a thank you for your help yesterday." She passed a bundle with a sweet smell to Kuroko.

"Thank you." He accepted them and put them on his lap.

"I saw a basin outside, can I use it? We have quite a bit of clothes to wash." She lifted a pile of clothes with a huff. "Just this much." She grinned.

"Yes, of course. Use anything you need." He replied with a miniscule smile of his own.

"Thanks." She gave him a smile and shuffled outside, the clothes in her hands blocking most of her view.

The blue haired boy inspected the package he was given, bit into one of the buns and followed the woman outside, gently wrapping the rest into the cloth.

It truly was a summer morning. The sun, even though it was not yet high up, promised an especially hot day. The suffocating air burned his nostrils with each breath. The heat was visible and swirling on the surface of the ground, distorting the view, trapped by the yet to be seen heavy rain clouds.

A low grumble greeted the blue haired boy when he stepped through the door. "Oh? Was that.."

Mary whipped her head up, face flushed. "I can't help it!" She started to vigorously rub the cloth in her hands.

Kuroko came closer and seated himself on the grass and passed her a roll of bread. "Here, have some. They're delicious."

Mary gazed at it for a second and accepted the loaf with a thank you and greedily dug in. "Ah, it's melting in my mouth! Heavenly!" She finished it in a few big bites and continued her chore but now with a big smile on her face.

"You seem quite skilled at this." The boy noted, munching his breakfast.

"Well, I'm a maid back at the palace, but I tagged along this time." Her smile shrunk.

"Is it because of the thing you're looking for?" The boy guessed.

"How did you know we are looking for something?" The brunette asked suspiciously, but she couldn't find the answer in his poker face. "It must be obvious, huh. Well, yes, it's because of the thing we're looking for." She sighed and stood up to hang the clean shirt on a rope neatly tied between two nearby trees. Then sat down and started scrubbing again. "Well, everybody should probably know about now. The queen is sick. And I am deeply indebted to her, so this was my chance to repay her at least a little bit." She hung another shirt. "Actually, we heard that a special doctor was living somewhere around here. Kasamatsu-san and Kise-sama went out a few hours ago to ask around, maybe somebody knows something." She gave him a hopeful smile.

Kuroko answered with a smile of his own but averted his eyes.

The two sat in silence deep in their own thoughts.

"We're back!" A man's voice announced suddenly.

"Ah, they're back!" Mary beamed, as a raven haired man emerged before them. "Welcome back! Oh, and where's Kise-sama?" She craned her neck to see behind the man.

"He went inside to lie down."

"So that means… The doctor's not in this village either?" Her voice was full of disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Mary-san."

Mary shook her head, and bit her lip.

"Boy, you're this village's doctor, aren't you? Do you know of Kenji Takeda-sensei? He's a doctor from somewhere around here."

Kuroko looked at the two. "I know of him, but…"

"You know him?" Both of them jumped up. "Where is he? How can we find him?"

Kuroko averted his gaze, yet he knew full well how his next words will affect them. "Takeda-sensei died two years ago. And from what I've heard, I think it's the same disease the queen is suffering from."

The two people stared at him.

"No…" Mary whispered and started weeping silently, tears streaming down her face. She jumped into Kasamatsu's chest. "This can't be, can't be…" She repeated quietly, her back shaking from the sobbing. Kasamatsu pressed her head with one hand into his chest, quietly comforting her.

Once her tears finally stop, she awkwardly wriggled out of his grip and showed him a shaky smile.

"We must report this to Kise-sama. He might now want to spend every last minute with the queen." The raven announced and took his leave, Mary following close behind.

When they were out of sight, Kuroko lied down on the warm grass. Even if he knew the possible cure for the disease, he could not go to the capital. Nor he could bring the queen here. Yes, the war was long over, but if something went wrong… The male shifted on his side. No, he could never go to the capital. He couldn't throw away his life for the king. Not until he fulfilled his promise to uncle Takeda.

The three of them didn't come out of the house for a long time.

Finally, Mary approached him.

"So you're leaving." Kuroko stood up in front of her.

"Yes. Kise-sama said that there's no need to search for a dead hope. Kasamatsu-san's getting the coach ready so he can't bid his goodbye. I'll go buy some things while we're still here and then we'll leave." She gave him a sad smile. "Thank you for everything, Kuroko-kun."

"I'm sorry." Kuroko offered.

"No, it's not your fault, Kuroko-kun. Please, don't apologise." She stepped closer and hugged the smaller boy tightly. "Thank you for everything." Then she stepped back and left.

Kuroko's insides churned at the sight of her small back. He felt the urge to run after her and stop her. He didn't.

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Heavy rain began to pour that evening. Kuroko watched the raindrops stream down his window. He curled up under his covers and shut his eyes.

As his consciousness began to drift away, he could swear he heard the clacking of a horse's hooves against the stony ground. But he couldn't tell the sound apart from the wind.

Loud, hurried knocking on the door jerked the boy awake. The rain was still pouring outside, so he couldn't have slept for long. He leaped out of the bed and hurried to answer the door.

A drenched figure was standing in front of his house. Kuroko could barely make out the man's silhouette, even though he was standing at an arm's length. It was Kasamatsu. He painfully wobbled through the door.

The teal haired boy could see the gashes on the bigger male's body, water and blood trickling on the floor. The blond male barely conscious clung to his servant for support, his face and clothes red with blood, eyes half closed and unfocused.

But Kuroko's gaze locked on Mary's limp body, desperately clutched to Kasamatsu's chest.

"You have to save them. Please."

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**AN**: So that's the end of chapter 2. Kise didn't appear much on this chapter, but rest assured, he should be appearing much more from now on.

Your reviews make my day, so please review! Also, if you have any requests or suggestions for the story, I'd be glad to hear them!

Also, KnB S2! Huzzah!

~Monetti


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